Libertarian Doug Marks might be pulling out of the race for the 33rd Senate District after informing supporters that his petition might not survive a challenge.

Marks told supporters Monday on his campaign's Facebook page that the "'parties in power'... have used their exclusionary tactics to have sufficient objections against my petitions to exclude me from having ballot access."

Marks, a Carpentersville village trustee, filed his petition June 25 to run against Republican nominee and Kane County Board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay, who like many General Assembly candidates in the McHenry County area was running unopposed. Two challengers Kenneth Cabay of Lake in the Hills and James Abbott of Geneva filed the objection a week later on July 2.

He wrote that he will decide by month's end whether to mount a write-in campaign.

"I don't blame Karen or any of the GOP for using the system they put into place to exclude candidates that can beat the insider, pay 2 play [sic], big government types, but if Illinois expects to be a prosperous place to live, these antics have to be ended," Marks wrote.

His candidacy is still active on the Illinois State Board of Elections website with a note that an objection is pending. The board is in the process of hearing objections to candidacies to determine their validity.

Marks wrote that he has spent the past week considering running as a write-in candidate. He said he is still undecided, but would need at least $50,000, but that he has received commitments for less than one-third of that.

Under post-census redistricting, the 33rd Senate District covers Huntley, much of Lakewood, Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills and western Algonquin, as well as parts of northern Kane County stretching south to Geneva.

The race is one of two with a objection pending. David McSweeney, Republican candidate for the 52nd House District, filed an objection to the petition of Dee Beaubien, who is seeking to run as an independent. She is the widow of Mark Beaubien, who represented the district from 1996 until his death in June 2011.

Under the new maps, the 52nd House District will cover southeastern McHenry County, including Cary and Fox River Grove, eastern Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Crystal Lake, and parts of Lake, Cook and Kane counties.

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Libertarian candidate mulling write-in campaign